Before & After Basement Redesign

Remember this post: whimsical modern
One of my recently completed projects was furnishing an entire basement living room.  The client had already made great use of the footprint by incorporating extra closets, a kitchenette, and a full bath. This new layout really put the "F" in function for the family of 6, however, there was no cohesive design scheme to keep organized on a daily basis.  The homeowner wanted this to be primarily a kid space for games, TV, art and crafts, but she also wanted to be able to entertain adults as well.  The jumping off point for the space were the Ikea blue and red kids chairs. Since it is a basement where natural light is limited,  I wanted to incorporate bright colors, graphic patterns and a sense of whimsy to the space. 


Before:

After:

The new layout separates the space into two zones.  The first zone above incorporates plush slipcovered chairs for easy cleaning for the adults to sit, read, or entertain.  We even incorporated a cozy little electric fireplace for added ambiance.  I also included two red vintage industrial chairs for extra seating or for using with the folding desks.

The second zone is the kid zone.  This area includes a rattan hanging chair, a chaise lounge, and the original Ikea blue and red kid chairs with customized cushions to play games, or watch movies.   To maximize floor space for the kids toys, I selected two wood stump side tables as opposed to a larger coffee table.

Did you spy the concealed support pole separating the two spaces?  We figured out a really fun and creative way to hide this, and I will dedicate a whole post next week to who, what, and how we made this eyesore a fun part of the design!

Remember this dining room....

Remember these pedestals and dining room? 

Well, we finally got around to shooting some afters (during daylight hours), and I long ago promised a shot of the console table I custom designed using some salvaged old stone balusters from the Boston State House.  

I also have shots of the living room we were working on at the same time.  Again, I was working mostly with existing furnishings but we really changed the overall feel completely through accessories and paint.

Before:

After:

A Major Overhaul

Hello Blog....long time no see!   Apologies on that end.   I have had my hands full of all sorts of projects little and big as of late, but I'm really excited to share pictures of one of my favorites.  This project has been nearly complete for sometime now, except for a few final touches.  As you can see, this was a major overhaul. The wall to wall carpet has been replaced with handscraped wood floors.  A new window was added, there is now a vaulted ceiling, a skylight was added, wainscoting and wallpaper were removed, the trim was painted....you name it and it was done.  I dubbed the new look organic modern.  What is that you say?  I would define it as clean, simple lines and lots of natural textures - brick fireplace, rustic barn wood mantle, and oak floors with the wool shag rug.  The result: I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but I'm proud of the new look. 

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

The piece of wall art shown above was found at a consigment shop and is actually an old door to a confessional, (my Catholic clients got a kick out of that) but I loved it for all its character!